Perhaps this is more of a Mom-Rant…I don’t know. I only know that I have some rants (or peeves) and it’s high time to express them. So, let’s start with the pick-up/drop-off lanes at Kelsea’s school.

Why, why, WHY is this such a cluster **** every morning???

The horseshoe-shaped drop-off zone has “Hug and Go” signs from one end of the horseshoe to the other. The door to the school is in the middle of the horseshoe, about 20 yards from the curb. The first car that enters the horseshoe should pull up to the far end, keep the motor running, give their child a kiss, let him or her open the door, get his or her backpack, close the door, and then the parent should drive away. Sounds so simple. (See the picture of the horseshoe drive below? This is Kelsea’s actual school.)

BUT…and this is a big but…

That’s not what happens. Parents drive up to the exact center of the horseshoe so that their child will not have to walk any more than the absolute shortest distance to the school door. And then they obviously discuss in-depth philosophical issues with said child for about 5 minutes prior to child exiting the vehicle, which in itself requires that the child open all car doors AND that the parent shut the car off and exit the vehicle to assist the child, OR (as occurred this morning) to CARRY the child’s backpack into the school WITH the child. Additional discussions between parent and child once both parties have exited the vehicle are also required.

Once the child has turned towards the school door, the parent (if not physically accompanying the child into the school) MUST re-enter the vehicle, watch the child until he or she enters the school and the door closes firmly behind him/her, then check their cellphone, put on make-up and deodorant, shave, adjust mirrors, start the car, wait for it to warm up, and then immediately pull back out into the horseshoe without looking to see if any cars are in the (theoretical) driving lane of the horseshoe.

Other parents are behind, jockeying for the next closest post position, or just sitting, waiting until it is their turn to pull up to the primo spot and perform the aforementioned ritual.

I seem to have some time warp issues with getting Kelsea to school on time. We’ve discussed it. We’ve tried all kinds of things to resolve it – leaving earlier, getting up earlier, packing up the night before, you name it. It’s just a maternal failing that I freely own up to. So we usually pull up to the horseshoe with minutes (or seconds) to spare before she’s tardy. I’m sure the front office can tell when she’s staying with me vs. her Dad, just like her friends can tell based on the quality of her packed lunches. (They take pity on her and share their lunches when she’s been with me.)

The dialogue (or soliloquy) in our car in the morning goes something like this from the time we approach the turning into the school parking lot:

Me: Why are you going so slow? WHY are you going 5 miles an hour? This is a 20 mile per hour zone. And it’s NOT a four-way stop. Don’t be so polite! Quit waving everyone else in! Maybe YOU don’t have to be someplace else but I do! ****** idiots! GO! GO! MOOOOOVE!!!
Kelsea: It’s okay, Mom, I’m already late.
Me: It’s not okay! Why do these Rock Creek moms have to be such idiots? This is stupid! It’s not that complicated! You just puuuulllll up, there you go, allllll the way up, there, see? This guy knows what he’s doing! He’s doing it right. Now see, I’ll just pull up behind him. Look, what a good drop-off parent – wait, oh no, no, he’s getting out of the car – what? He’s going into the school – he’s just LEAVING the car there! Now I’m blocked in. **** him!! ******* dumb-ass!! I’m going to ….
Kelsea: Bye, Mom, I love you!
Me: Bye, honey, have a great day.

So by the time I do get out of there, my blood pressure has soared, steam is coming out of my ears, and (depending on the day) I’m close to tears. I will say it distracts Kelsea from her customary morning grumpiness, so that’s a minor blessing.

And we just have to look for the little blessings in all of those things we can’t change, now don’t we?